The present invention relates to the technical field of a digital image processing apparatus for use with digital photoprinters and like machines that read the image on a film photoelectrically and output a print (photograph) having the image reproduced thereon.
Most of the images recorded on photographic films such as negatives and reversals (which are hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cfilmsxe2x80x9d) are conventionally printed onto light-sensitive materials (photographic papers) by a technique generally called xe2x80x9cdirect exposurexe2x80x9d (analog exposure) in which the image on a film is projected onto the light-sensitive material for areal exposure.
A printer that adopts digital exposure has recently been commercialized. In this xe2x80x9cdigital photoprinterxe2x80x9d, the image recorded on a film is read photoelectrically and converted into digital signals, which are subjected to various kinds of image processing to produce recording image data; a light-sensitive material is exposed by scanning with recording light modulated in accordance with the image data, thereby recording a (latent) image which is then processed photographically to produce a print.
In digital photoprinters, the image is converted to digital image data and exposing conditions can be determined by processing that image data. Hence, by using such digital photoprinters, the correction of dropouts or blocked-ups due to photography with rear light or an electronic flash, sharpening, the correction of color or density failures, the correction of under- or over-exposure, the correction of the insufficiency of marginal light and various other kinds of image processing can be performed effectively enough to produce prints of high quality that have heretofore been impossible to obtain by the direct exposure technique. In addition, a plurality of images can be composited into a single image or one image can be split into segments or even characters can be composited by the processing of image data. If desired, prints can be outputted after desired editing/processing in accordance with a specific application.
The capability of digital photoprinters is by no means limited to outputting the image as a print (photograph) and they enable the image data to be supplied to computers or stored in recording media such as floppy disks; thus, with digital photoprinters, the image data can be used in various applications other than photography.
Having these features, the digital photoprinter is composed of the following three basic parts: a scanner (image reading apparatus) that reads the image on a film photoelectrically; an image processing apparatus that performs image processing of the read image to determine the exposing conditions for image recording; and a printer (image recording apparatus) that scan exposes a light-sensitive material in accordance with the determined exposing conditions and performs development and other necessary processes to produce a print.
In the scanner, the reading light issuing from a illuminant is allowed to be incident on the film, thereby producing projected light that carries the image recorded on the film; the projected light is then passed through an imaging lens to be focused on an image sensor such as a CCD sensor which performs photoelectric conversion to read the image, which is optionally subjected to various kinds of image processing before it is sent to the image processing apparatus as the image data (image data signals) from the film.
In the image processing apparatus, the image processing conditions are set on the basis of the image data that has been read with the scanner and image processing is applied to the image data in accordance with the thus set conditions, thereby producing output image data for image recording (i.e., exposing conditions) that are subsequently sent to the printer.
In the printer, if it is an apparatus that adopts exposure by scanning with optical beams, the beams are modulated in accordance with the image data supplied from the image processing apparatus and as said optical beams are deflected in a main scanning direction, the light-sensitive material is transported in an auxiliary scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction, whereby the light-sensitive material is exposed to the image-carrying optical beams to form a latent image; the exposed light-sensitive material is then developed and otherwise processed in accordance with its type so as to produce a finished print (photograph) reproducing the image that has been recorded on the film.
As mentioned above, the image processing apparatus in a digital photoprinter sets the image processing conditions in accordance with the image data that has been read with the scanner and the image data is processed under the thus set image processing conditions to produce the output image data.
In practice, however, the conventional image processing apparatus sets the image processing conditions in an invariable way without regard to the scene of a picture of interest, i.e., irrespective of whether it is a portrait, a landscape or whatever it is. This means that the image processing applied is not necessarily optimal and occasionally fails to output prints of the best quality.
An object, therefore, of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus that is suitably used with digital photoprinters and that sets image processing conditions optimal for a particular scene of a picture, thereby allowing for consistent production of high-quality prints that reproduce images of high quality.
The stated object of the invention can be attained by an image processing apparatus comprising:
means for receiving input image data from a source of image data supply;
image processing means for performing necessary image processing on the input image data received by said receiving means to produce output image data;
extracting means for extracting at least one specified portion of an image carried by the input image data; and
setting means for setting image processing conditions in accordance with said at least one specified portion extracted by said extracting means and the input image data;
wherein said image processing means performs the image processing on the input image data in accordance with the image processing conditions set by said setting means.
Preferably, said setting means changes in accordance with said at least one specified portion extracted by said extracting means the image processing conditions set in accordance with the input image data.
Preferably, said image processing conditions changed by setting means are processing contents of said image processing performed on said input image data by said image processing means.
Preferably, said processing contents of said image processing are at least one process selected from the group consisting of sharpness enhancement, dodging, gradation conversion, gray balance correction for removal of stain, color correction, blurring and correction of an exposing illuminant.
Preferably, said setting means selects the image processing conditions in accordance with at least one specified portion extracted by said extracting means among a plurality of sets of the image processing conditions previously set.
Preferably, said setting means changes the image processing conditions of the overall image carried by the input image data which contains said at least one specified portion extracted by extracting means to set same image processing conditions for said at least one specified portion and other regions.
Preferably, said setting means changes the image processing conditions set in accordance with said input image data only for said at least one specified portion extracted by extracting means.
Preferably, said setting means sets the image processing conditions which are different between said at least one specified portion and other regions.
Preferably, setting of the image processing conditions in accordance with said input image data by said setting means and extraction of the at least one specified portion by said extracting means are performed in parallel steps.
Preferably, the image processing apparatus further includes display means for presenting at least one of a result of extraction of said at least one specified portion and an image that has been subjected to the image processing in accordance with the image processing conditions set by said setting means except or including the at least one specified portion.
Preferably, at least one of the steps of extracting the at least one specified portion by said extracting means, setting the image processing conditions by said setting means and presenting the image by said display means is performed using image data having a lower pixel density than the output image data.
Preferably, at least one of the steps of extracting the at least one specified portion by said extracting means, setting the image processing conditions by said setting means and presenting the image by said display means that is performed using the image data having the lower pixel density than the output image data, and the step of obtaining image data having a higher pixel density than said image data having the lower pixel density as said input image data on which said image processing is performed by said image processing means to produce said output image data are performed in parallel steps.
Preferably, at least one modification of addition, correction and deletion of said at least one specified portion presented by said display means is capable of being performed.
Preferably, said image performed in accordance with the image processing conditions set by said setting means and presented by said display means is capable of being modified except or including said at least one specified portion.
Preferably, the image processing apparatus further comprises means for subjecting said input image data to color/tone correction, wherein said extracting means extracts the at least one specified portion using image data that has been subjected to the color/tone correction.
Preferably, the image processing apparatus further comprises means for subjecting said input image data to gray balance adjustment, wherein said extracting means extracts said at least one specified portion using image data that has been subjected to gray balance adjustment.
Preferably, said setting means has an autosetup function for automatically setting up said input image data, and said extracting means extracts said at leas one specified portion based on image data set up automatically by said setting means or an image carried by the image data.
Preferably, said setting means has two selectable modes as setting modes of the image processing conditions, one being an automatic mode in which the setting means performs automatic setting and the other being a command mode which fully or partly relies upon operator""s commands.
Preferably, said setting means has two swichable modes, one setting the image processing conditions in accordance with said at least one specified portion extracted by said extracting means and said input image data, and the other setting the image processing conditions in accordance with only said input image data independent of said at least one specified portion extracted by said extracting means.
Preferably, said apparatus has at least one of two selecting functions, one selecting function selecting either one of a mode in which said setting means sets different image processing conditions for said at least one specified portion and other regions or a mode in which said setting means sets same image processing conditions for said at least one specified portion and other regions, and other selecting function selecting either one of a mode in which said image processing conditions for said at least one specified portion are changed or a mode in which said image processing conditions for the overall image carried by said input image data including said at least one specified portion; and
wherein said apparatus has two swichable mode one being an automatic mode in which said at least one of the two selecting functions perform automatic selecting and the other being a command mode which relies upon operator""s commands.